The present invention is directed generally to radiant energy-responsive devices which emit an electrical signal, particularly devices which would emit a signal indicative of the origin of the radiant energy. The invention is particularly related to devices capable of detecting pulse laser emissions over a wide dynamic and wavelength range which would indicate the direction of the source of the laser pulse.
Various detectors for detecting light, particularly that light emitted from lasers in pulse form, are known in the prior art. While some prior art detectors are capable of operating at room temperature, many detectors are required to be cryogenically cooled in order to be sensitive to very low-power laser emissions. Whether or not cryogenically cooled, sensors which are sensitive to very low-power laser emissions are very easily swamped and therefore do not have the capability of favorably responding over a large dynamic range. Other sensors are sensitive to large dynamic ranges in power of laser pulses, but often measure total energy flux and thus are rather slow to respond to new input information. Finally, only a small number of detectors are intended for directional sensing and connected to appropriate electronics so as to indicate the relative direction of the source of the laser pulses.